Bellator 101: Warren Secures Tournament Final Slot

Bellator MMA stalwart Joe Warren punched his ticket to the Season 9 bantamweight tournament final by defeating Nick Kirk tonight in Portland, Oregon. Warren will now face Travis Marx in the tournament final later this year.

The self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” showed the fruits of his move to Jackson’s MMA in tonight’s bout with fellow Big Ten wrestler Nick Kirk. The bout, which was originally set for Bellator 98, showcased Warren’s development as a striker in the first round, as he threw a much more varied attack at the former Golden Gopher. The second round saw Warren use his (legit) world class wrestling to take Kirk down and control the fight.

Warren would finish the fight with an unorthodox finish as he secured a reverse triangle arm bar that actually morphed into more of a modified shoulder lock by the time Kirk tapped. Warren will now face Travis Marx in the bantamweight tournament final at time and place to be determined. Marx literally punched his ticket to the finals by defeating Brandon Bender last week at Bellator 100.